08/01/18 - Tollcross, Fountainbridge and Haymarket Pub Walk

Distance - 3.5 Miles
Geocaches - 2
Pubs - 5 x 2018 Good Beer Guide Entries
Walk Inspiration - Edinburgh's Hidden Walks - Walk 11
Previous Edinburgh Pubs Walks - Rose Street, Royal Mile around the Castle, Around the Castle



A break from CAMRA's Pub Walks in Edinburgh, as I have bought a new guidebook to show me the sights.   And would you believe it, but I pass 7 Good Beer Guide ticks, leaving a couple for another day.

I head off from my Princes Street hotel and up and over North Bridge.  Everywhere, there is inspiration and distraction.

No Need!

Note his golden nose caused by "Rubbing for Luck"

First pit stop - A visit to the vicar.

Cloisters, 26 Brougham Street, Swannay Brewery, Amarillo

I've been to pubs wholly enclosed in Church Yards.  I've been to the UK pub that is closest to a church but I have never been in a pub that was part of a church.

Cloisters is self contained in the former All Saints Parsonage.  I did think the seating looked "Pew Like".  I didn't realise that the bar was made from reclaimed church wood.

That would be an ecumenical matter

A lovely, airy pub with plenty of space.  Hot air from the log burner hits the coldness of my glasses and I have no hope of identifying the ales on the chalk board through the steam.   After a pleasant bar chat I plump for a Swannery Brewery, not realising until UnTappd Check in that I previously found their wares in Kirkwall.

Another top pint and a good start to the evening.

Clean, airy and Good Beer

Bennets Bar, 8 Leven Street, Keliburn Goldihops

Good to see the International Bar on route to Bennets.  Its not troubling the Good Beer Guide, but 18 long years ago, I was following a different Pub Guide and invited work colleagues into a long walk from New Town, based on the review.   They were not impressed by either the Jack Russell perched on the bar, barking at us or the fight that happened.

I have been forced to explore pubs solo ever since.

Bennets Bar, sitting snuggly next to the Theatre, would surely have impressed them more.  A perfect pub, inside and out.

What lives behind the Lead Windows

The Guide describes it as "the Zenith of late Victorian Edinburgh Pub Architecture".  I cannot argue.

Picture Perfect Pub

Regulars sit at the end of the bar leaving the tables free for Spanish Tourists, Students and Pub Tickers.   Everyone gets on fine.

Haymarket, West Maitland Street, Deuchars IPA

Fortified for a longish walk through Fountainbridge, I learn that Edinburgh has a canal.  In all the years coming here, I had no idea.  This provides a handrail to the Dalry Road and ultimately, the Haymarket.

I've been to the eponymous pub before and I must admit to being surprised to see it in the guide.  I think I know the reason.

All down to Choice - 12 Hand Pulls.

It's a Nicholsons pub and has a very "chainy" feel to it, but it has been tidied up considerably since my last visit in the early 2000s.  I would have described it then as "Earthy".

Tidied Up Haymarket

Monty's. Morrison Street, Timothy Taylor Landlord

There's only three people inside to see that I have ordered an English Beer.   Two of those are Antipodeans who have driven up from London.   They believed in Google's 6 hour estimate.  They now understand how the M6 works.

This is a pleasant, modern bar, where a cocktail would not look out of place.

I was happy with a perfect example of one of my favourite brews.

Loved the Ceiling

Thompson's Bar, Morrison Street, Deuchars IPA

In classic suspense style, I have probably saved the best until last.   And there have been some prime pub examples on this walk.

I knew I was in the right place, as the signage offered "Wellness, Nutrition and Beauty".

Ending on a High

With the exception of a couple of old boys sat at a table, I had the place to myself to really admire the interior in all its wood paneled and mirrored beauty.

It really is an exceptional looking pub.

Can a pub interior be any nicer?

I'm back with the CAMRA Real Ales Walks guide tomorrow, finishing off the Waverley Circuit.  I may even find interiors to Top Trump this one.

That's how good the Edinburgh pub scene is.